Van Dyke stitch

How to work it

1. Come up on the left line

   

   Mark two parallel lines. Van Dyke stitch is worked from the top down. Bring the needle up at A on the left line, a little below the top.

2. Take a small stitch at the top center

   

   Halfway between the lines and a little above A, put the needle in at B and bring it out at C, a short way to the left. Pull the thread through.

3. Go down on the right line

   

   Take the needle down at D on the right line, level with A. The two threads cross just below the small stitch.

4. Come up just below A

   

   Bring the needle up at E on the left line, directly below A and close to it.

5. Slide under the crossed threads

   

   Pass the needle from right to left under both crossed threads, without piercing the fabric. Pull the thread through until the loop is snug, then take the needle down at F on the right line, level with E.

6. Repeat down the band

   

   Keep going: up on the left line, under the crossing of the stitch above, down on the right line. The loops link into a raised plait down the center.

At a glance

Also called

Vandyke stitch

Used for

borders and decorative bands; leaves, where the plait makes a center vein; fillings for leaf-like shapes

Thread

Three strands of six-strand floss are a good place to start, or use pearl cotton in size 5 or 8. Use more strands for a bolder band.

Needle

An embroidery (crewel) or chenille needle with an eye large enough for the thread. A blunt tapestry needle slides under the crossings without snagging them, if the fabric is open enough for its blunt tip.

Tips

• After you pass under the crossing, pull the thread to tension the loop before you go down on the right line. Use the same pull for every stitch.
• Bring each stitch up immediately below the last one, and keep the spacing equal all the way down.
• Slide the needle under the crossing eye first, or use a blunt tapestry needle, so that you pick up thread only and not fabric.
• Draw a faint line down the center of the shape before you start. It shows where each crossing should sit.
• For a leaf, let the two lines follow the leaf outline. The arms grow and shrink with the shape while the plait runs down the center vein.

When it goes wrong

The plait wanders to one side

Draw a faint center line down the shape and keep each crossing on it as you pull the thread through.

The arms will not keep an even slant

Let the needle pick up a little fabric each time it passes under the stitch above. This is the flat form of the stitch.

The needle catches the fabric under the crossing

Pass the needle under eye first, or change to a blunt tapestry needle.

Gaps show between the arms

Bring the needle up immediately below the stitch above, and go down level with it on the other line.

Left-handed

Mirror the diagrams: come up on the right line, slide the needle under the crossing from left to right, and go down on the left line.

Variations

• Van Dyke stitch leaf. The stitch is worked inside a leaf outline instead of between straight lines, so the arms change length and the plait forms the center vein.
• Narrow Van Dyke stitch. With the two lines set closer together the arms are shorter. You can also change the width as you work down the band.
• Flat Van Dyke stitch. The needle picks up a little fabric as it passes under each crossing. The thread is anchored at every stitch and the plait is less raised.